Spike-extractor.



.. Patented lan. l, |90I. A. WELSH.

SPIKE EXTRACTDR.

(Applictinn led Oct. 16, 1900.)

(No Model.)

'NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

ARTEMUS WELSH, OF LAWRENCE, KANSAS:

SPI KE-EXTRACTO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 665,044, dated January 1, 1901.

Application filed October 16, 1900. Serial No. 33,811. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTEMUS WELSH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lawrence, Douglas county, Kansas, have invented a new and useful Spike-Extractor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to spike-extractors, and more especially to that class as eXem plified in my Patent No. 573,943, dated December 29, 1896, embodying a fulcrum-post, a pair of pivoted oscillatory jaws, and a lever to fulcrum on the post and cause the jaws to bite upon the spike; and my object in this con-- nection is to provide a spike-extractor more efficient in operation and of fewer parts and greater strength and durability than the patented one referred to.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed, andin order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a spike-extractor embodying my invention in operative relation to a spike. Fig. 2 represents a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line III III of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line IV IV of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, l designates a lever or handle of the form shown or any other suitable or preferred configuration, and 2 designates a pair of anglearms riveted or bolted to the lower end and provided with flanges 3, engaging the front and rear edges of the handle, the lower portions 4 of the arms extending divergently downward and having cog-teeth 5 at their inner sides.

6 designates a cylindrical post provided with a depending threaded stern 7 and a circular cap 8, provided with a depending annular flange 9, and projecting upwardly from said cap between the parallel portions of arms 2 is an apertured lug 10, through which extends the pivot-bolt l1,carried by said arms and held in place by means of a spring-cot ter 12.

13 designates a hexagonal nut screwed upon the threaded stem 7 and provided with a circular flange 14, projecting upwardly, the base or bottom of said nut being rounded in order to provide a rocking bearing, as hereinafter appears.

A pair of jaws of precisely the same construction consists of the straight bars l5, provided centrally with shallow bearing-recesses 16, engaging pivot-ally the post 6, and with approxi mately semicircular grooves 17 and 18 in their upper and lower sides, which engage,

' respectively, annular flanges 9 and 14 of cap 8 and nut 13. Said bars at their outer sides are provided with segmental enlargements 19, having their upper surfaces sloping downward and outward to correspond with the contiguous portions4 of arms 2 and provided likewise with radial teeth 20, engaging teeth 5 of said arms. bars are provided with recesses 21 to receive the head of the spike, and from said enlargements 18 outward theunder side of said bars taper, as at 22.

In the patent above referred to I employ a pair -of jaws of substantially the same shape as in this application, except that they are provided with spike-receiving recesses only at one end, and consequently in case of injury to said end must be replaced by new ones. In this application I provide for greater durability by providing the jaws at both ends with spike-receiving recesses in order that if one end is injured the other can be used by rsimply reversing the jaws or reversing the angle of the handle with relation to the fulcrum-post. Again, the recessed ends of the jaws of the patented device are normally thrown together primarily by a spring and are then caused to bite more firmly upon the spike by means of a wedge set in operation by the proper manipulation of the handle. In consequence of this it was necessary for the operator to grasp and force the rear ends of the jaws together in order to move the front ends apart for the purpose of securing a new grip on the spike. In the present device this spring, which is objectionable not only because of the fact that it requires the` and in lieu thereof the handle is providedA with a pair of rigid arms geared to the jaws in such a manner that the manipulation of In their inner corners said IOO the handle in one direction causes the front end of the jaws to move together and in the opposite direction apart, thus eliminating all necessity for grasping the jaws by hand.

In practical operation the tool is arranged with the beveled portion 22 of the jaws upon the surface wherein the spike is driven and with the handle approximately perpendicular. The handle is then pushed away from the operator and toward the rail if the spike is holdinga railin place,which action,through the medium of the engaging teeth 5 and 20, throws the jaws open to receive the spike. Holding it in this position it is slid forward until the jaws occupy a position at opposite sides of the spike. The handle is then pulled backward or toward the operator to clamp the jaws firmly against the spike. The movement of the handle away from the rail is then continued and causes the jaws and post to oscillate with the rounded portion of nut 13 as the fulcrurn, and thus withdraw the spike. Assuming that the spike is too long to be withdrawn by a single manipulation of the handle, the latter is thrown forward and through the medium of teeth 5 and 2O rotates and reopens the jaws. Such movement of the handle is then continued to reoscillate the jaws until the front beveled surfaces 22 again rest on the surfaces into which the spike is driven, when the handle is thrown forward to cause the jaws to bite firmly against the spike adjacent to such surfaces. rlhis being accomplished, the outward movement of thehandleis continued, and the complete withdrawal of the spike is effected by the reoscillation of the jaws upon the rounded head of the nu t, as will be readily understood. It will thus be seen that the operator need not touch the jaws with his hands at all, as the movement of the handle in one direction opens them and in the opposite direction closes them.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a spike-extractor which possesses the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of invention, and while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment it is to be understood that it is susceptible of minor changes as regards its form, proportion, detail construction, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

l. A spike-extractor, comprising an oscillatory fulcrum-post, jaws pivotally carried thereby, and a handle pivoted on said post and geared to said jaws and adapted by operation in opposite directions to open and close said jaws, substantially as described.

2. A spike-extractor, comprising an oscillatory fulcrum post, jaws pivoted thereon and provided with cog-teeth, and a handle pivoted on the jaws and provided with teeth engaging said jaws and adapted to open or close the same, substantially as described.

3. A spike-extractor,comprising a fulcrumpost, provided with a depending threaded stem, a cap, and a lug projecting upward from said cap, a nut screwed upon said threaded stem, a pair of jaws pivoted on the post between the cap and nut and provided with spike-receiving cavities, and with cogteeth, a handle, arms secured to said handle and pivoted to said lug and provided with diverging portions having teeth engaging the teeth of said jaws, substantially as described.

1L. A spike-extractor, comprising a fulcrumpost provided with a depending threaded stem, a circular cap having a depending annular iiange, and a lug projecting upward from said cap, a nut screwed upon said stem and provided with an upwardly-projecting annularfiange, a pair of jaws pivoted on said post and provided with segmental grooves in its upper side engaged by the flange of said cap and with segmental grooves in its lower side engaged by the flange of the nut, and provided with upwardly-projecting teeth, a handle, arms secured to said handle and pivoted to said lug, and provided with downwardlydiverging portions provided with teeth engaging the teeth of said jaws, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTEMUS WELSH.

Witnesses:

W. L. Hows, GEO. W. KHNE. 

